Now on to the progression photos for the month. The No-longer-gopher-proof-beds have been dwindling down, though the Kale seems to be the most prolific.

Tomato Bed:

May 6 May 14

May 19 May 28

On the 21st the Shallot was harvested, leaving this bed with Kale and a few straggling Carrots.

The Salad Bed has been limping along despite gopher related incidents:

May 6

May 14

May 19

May 28
Notice how the gopher has eaten up all of the Rainbow Chard in the back behind the Chard.

Greenhouse Bed:

May 6 May 14

May 19 May 28

Here is the first White Lakes to ripen up!

Greenhouse Right:

May 6 May 14

May 19 May 28

According to the Original plan, many of these Tomato plants were destined for the outside Tomato bed. Since the Tomato bed is not safe from gophers, they are stuck in containers. Many have a grip of Spider Mites on them. Current treatment is hosing off the entire plant twice daily (although in reality it really only gets done once daily at best). Glad t0o see a couple of big ones hanging in there despite the lack of root space and the insects!

To start to show you the shape of things to come, check out what we fondly refer to as the “Pallet Garden:”

May 19 May 28

Don’t let the simplicity fool you! There are lots of variations to be had, using a pallet as a base. For one, it prevents the containers from being pushed around and left at odd angles when a gopher mound is formed.

Lots of new colors coming in since the last post! Also! A new Garden Plan is also taking shape due to The Gopher. Which means there will be lots of dissemination of the current garden as you know it in the next month and it will be rebuilt anew, this time gopher-proof.

Treats from the Garden:
Besides the daily consumption of Kale and Chard in fruit smoothies, there are some new additions ready to eat!

May 1 – The first Pepper! Purple Beauty Peppers came from two plants, and as you can see there are Blondkopfchen Tomatoes ripening up! We have been debating on growing methods for the La Ratte Fingerling seed Potatoes and while in storage, they sprouted. These are being placed in bright light for a few days before being planted in 5-gallon buckets.

May 4 – These Red Torpedo Onions seemed to be bulging below the surface in the Tomato Bed. Not wanting to wait for the tops to die off to harvest, two were sacrificed and dug up. The tops were used like green onion and had a very nice, delicate onion flavor. They started off as sets, and were planted out the first week of February after the Tomatoes were taken out of the bed.

May 6 – Salad Greens consisting of the Lettuce not yet eaten by the Gopher, Arugula, Green Onion, Curled Leaf Parsley, and Dill

May 6 – Going Clockwise, starting at the top in the White Colander: Calendula Flowers, Greek Oregeno and Summer Savory. Genovese Basil, Sweet Basil, Lemon Basil, Thai Basil and Chamomile. Sweet Marjoram. Most of these will be dried and stored, the Basil will likely go into making a Pesto to freeze in cubes to start squirreling away for the upcoming year.

Here is a critter found while cutting back the Sweet Marjoram:

No idea what it is yet, some sort of moth, it’s got a huge body that you can’t see, and seems harmless enough at the moment. If research pans out there will be another post later this week delighting you with the different pests from our garden.

Although there were almost daily harvests of leafy greens such as Kale and Chard, there are no photos to show of it. But there are weights. Last week we harvested:
Chard – 10.4 oz
Kale – 9.1 oz
Rainbow Chard – 5.4 oz
Strawberry – 1.2 oz
Tomato – .7 oz
Cilantro – .2 oz
Parsley – .1

There is a picture of the Tomato prior to being picked off:

Yellow Perfection, second Tomato of the year!

The worms have migrated up enough to remove the bottom tray and sift through it:

For now, we sift the material from right to left, using chopsticks to pluck out any worms or cocoons. In the picture on the Right if you look closely you can see a number of round worm cocoons. Nifty!

Since this is the last full week of the month, here is the Progress Report for April.

Tomato Bed:

March 3 April 8
April 14 April 22
The radish really took off! The lettuce in the front right has bolted as have the Radish. Seeds will be saved from the purple Radish blossoms. The Kale will be given a rest to re-establish itself in the next week.

Salad Bed:

March 31
April 8
April 14
April 22
Look closely at the photos above. Notice how on the left side of the bed, the Cilantro then the Parsley slowly becomes discolored, drained as the month goes on. This seems to b the gopher eating at the roots of these plants as they protrude out past the chicken wire lining the bed. Unfortunately the gopher seems to have gained access to the Right side of the bed and enjoys Lettuce and the occasional Radish. So far the Winter Savory, Green Onions, Chard and Swiss Chard remain untouched.

Greenhouse Bed:

March 31 April 8
April 14 April 22
The peppers are starting to form fruits, the Marjoram is growing nicely and the Basil recently planted is starting to take off. One of the Genovese Basil plants was flowering so it was cut back to retain a leafy and bushy stature. One thing that resulted from the fresh bouquet – I realized how much I missed the intoxicating scent of fresh Basil!

This upcoming week is sure to be filled with more gopher stories, transplanting Summer starts and harvesting a wider variety as the heat comes in! Check out Daphne’s Dandelions to see how others are gardening around the world.

This past week has been most fruitfully green. We have been picking greens every day and have begun to weigh everything that is harvested. Since March 11 we have harvested a total of 210.9 0z which comes to about 13lb.

Finally got the time and energy to reorganize some plants around the house then headed into the Greenhouse to make some decisions about what to plant in the bed and proceeded to stake up some tomatoes that really ought to be given more room to grow.

Greenhouse Bed:

Since none of the Green Onion or Basil seeds directly sown sprouted, starts were added. In the After Picture, from the bottom up there is: 4 Red Onion of Florence, Genovese Basil, Mrs. Burns’ Lemon Basil, Genovese and Sweet Basil, Thai Basil, Purple Ruffles Basil. There is Green Onion planted in open spaces throughout the row as well.

Greenhouse Right:

The Tomatoes on the top of the Rack began to fall over at 90 Degree angles at the base. They have all been taken down and staked, and are now waiting to be potted up.

Fruits in the garden are starting to take shape, Peppers are beginning to emerge, visible Peach fruits are forming, and our second Strawberry of the year is ready to be picked!

Insects are starting to pop up in abundance. Current Pest Controls include running fingers over plants and killing everything possible and spraying off with water. We won’t look at it today but some of the Tomatoes do have Spider Mites which need to be sprayed.

The Gopher has decided to expand his reach by prowling around the Salad Bed.

The Cilantro has been turning yellow for a while and, due to the dead lettuce devoured by the roots on the other side of the bed, I think it is reasonable to assume the gopher has been chomping on the Cilantro roots for a while now and has progressed to finding a way into the bed. It will be interesting to see what else he favors from this bed. Lessons from the front bed show he likes Cilantro, Dill, Sunflower, Yarrow and Calendula (listed in order of observed preference).

For more gardens and harvests go to Daphne’s Dandelions. Otherwise, look forward to more Gopher Chronicles when the culprit strikes again!

April is bringing in a rush of color throughout the garden. Blooms are popping open and attracting visitors, new growth is increasing everywhere and new colors are being seen where before there was just…. Green.

Got two plants last year from a nursery. Only this one survived, but oh what a treat to see it popping up into maturity – So bright, juicy and red. Yum!

The Thyme is in full bloom now and looks lovely with its tiny white flowers.

The Chamomile has stretched up and thrust its flowers upon us. The flowers get hand picked and dried. These little brown striped bugs seem to really enjoy the flowers, they don’t seem to be doing much damage – I flick the flowers to get them off before picking.

All these beauties are encouragement to get in the garden and dig in, this is only the beginning of the mad rush – try to step back and enjoy the beauty and the process of it all!Check out Daphne’s Dandelions to see other peoples’ gardens from around the world.

We had two harvests last week. . . this is just a warm up of things to come!

March 27
Radish, Chard, Kale, Green Onion, Cilantro, Basil (Summer is right around the corner now!) and Lavender

March 31
Green Onion, Kale, Radish, Rainbow Chard and Chard

It’s nice to be relying more on the garden and experimenting with the tastes! Still can’t wait for Tomato Time!

Speaking of, these Tomato babies are going to be getting some love this week. They need to be untangled, staked, and in some cases re-potted. Maybe there will be some little green babies that have been missed among the foliage? I’ll keep the camera handy.

Happy April Fools Day! Get out there and Garden! Or head over to Daphne’s Dandelions to see how other people grow their food!